


Growth

by Icebergs



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-10-25 18:01:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17730014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icebergs/pseuds/Icebergs
Summary: This will be updated weekly, and any trigger warnings will be posted up here =o)





	1. Odd Structures in the Distance

**Author's Note:**

> This will be updated weekly, and any trigger warnings will be posted up here =o)

_His legs burned as he ran, weaving around trees._

_He couldn’t look behind him. Couldn’t face the monster, couldn’t afford to slow down._

_Trees passed by him in a blur, rain pouring down and soaking him through. He pushed through the mud, panting heavily as he felt it approach, it’s speed too much for the human._

_He yelled as he slipped, holding his hands out to catch himself. There wasn’t any traction, no way for him to get back up. He was stuck  
It was there._

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Steve awoke with a gasp, shooting upright. He looked around his house wildly, at the open window. He shuddered and got up to close it, watching the rising sun before slamming the window shut. Steve felt a building dread as he prepared breakfast, a simple mushroom stew with bread.

“What to do, what to do.” He murmured to himself as he opened his chests. Glittering jewels peered out at him from one, so mining was off the table. He had just planted his crops, so no farming. Exploring it is.

Steve pulled out his map, his house in the center, circled in a bright red.

“I could head west, see what the swamps have.” He said to himself, putting the map on the kitchen table. “Sounds good.”

He pulled together a bag, grabbing his sword and slinging it into its holster. He snagged his potions, remembering the last time he ran into a witch, wincing at the memory of his wounds. Checking the house one more time, he shook his head to disperse the nightmare and closed it behind him.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The weather wasn’t exactly perfect as Steve trudged through the murky water, careful of any drop-offs. He looked at the looming clouds, a dark grey omen of bad weather, and decided inwardly to head back. He felt eyes on his back.

The trees seemed to swallow Steve up, and he realized he didn’t know where he was. He pulled out a map, the small, glowing, white dot indicating his presence. He sighed and tested out a direction. It brought the little white dot closer to the house, and Steve let out a breath of relief.

“Thank Notch…” He whispered, sticking the map back in his bag. He started forwards, soaked pants sloshing with each step. Steve pushed through vines, pulling out one of his torches and lighting it, shivering once more at the shadows it cast.

“You’re a grown man, Steven. You can’t let a little dream freak you out.” He said out loud, shaking away his nerves. It didn’t help that it was deathly silent, the lack of any mobs making the biome his least favorite by far. He walked along, occasionally taking out his map to peer at it.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The structure was a surprise. The golden blocks at the bottom shining against the torchlight. Steve gawked at it, trying to remember if he saw it before. He had a memory of this, but it was hazy. He quickly pulled out his map and a pen, circling the area he was standing in.

He’d make a note of it later.

His house was a beacon in the distance, and Steve quickly hurried towards it, sparing one glance at the structure as thunder sounded.  
He pushed the door closed swiftly, putting his back to it. He felt eyes on his back as he locked the door. An unnecessary precaution, but tonight he just didn’t feel safe.

He made sure the windows were closed, wishing he had something to cover them as he pulled out his notebook and put it on the table, flipping it open to a blank page.

A few quick ink strokes later, and he had his page. He stared at the page and felt a pull.

_go. go light it up. see what it will do._

It sounded like someone was right behind him, whispering the words directly into his ear. He gasped and spun around, seeing nothing there. The window above his bed was open, and he felt a wave of fear.

He got up and shut it, taking a second too long to peer out it, seeing the outline of the strange structure in the distance.

“It wasn’t there before. I would know.” He said in an attempt to reassure himself. He looked back at his page of notes, feeling slightly sick as he got ready for the night.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

_He was on the ground, the earth swallowing him up. The rain came down harder as he struggled to free himself._

_He screamed a high noise that was barely heard by his own ears as the rain drowned it out. He swallowed the mud, coughing as he fought to keep his head above the living earth._

_The thing was behind him. It reached out a cold hand and grabbed his hair, yanking him out. He shouted in pain and fear, struggling to escape both the thing and the earth itself._

_It turned him around so that he was looking into its eyes. He felt a wave of nausea and passed out._

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Steve woke up screaming, tangled in his own blanket. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, panting loudly.

He looked around his room, feeling sick to his stomach as he noticed the open window. Leaves covered his floor, all a sickly brown. That wasn’t right.

There weren’t any close villages, none close enough to have to deal with someone doing this. Steve ran a shaking hand through his hair, getting up and going towards the main room downstairs, having yet to change into his clothes.

Downstairs was only slightly better. Steve noticed the now-unlocked front door and shuddered. Everything was intact as he did a once-over of his house, the notebook still open to the page. He closed it, having a premonition that the structure had something to do with the suddenness of the nightmares.

Steve thought about the voice, about the fact that it was also most likely connected to the structure, and what it meant. He grabbed the notebook again, flipping through it until he found what he wanted.

He remembered the temple in the desert, the etched pictures on the walls showing what looked like history. He had sketched it out, the lines on the walls fascinating him.

He looked at his sketch, seeing a structure similar to the one outside in the corner. Little etches of people seemed to be fleeing from it, with one figure standing still. Steve looked at it closer, seeing now how detailed he made it. It seemed to be staring directly at him, an eerie grin on its face. Steve felt nervous watching it, opting to put down the book and look out at the distant structure.

_you know what you have to do._

Steve picked up his torch, leaving his bag and sword behind as he went walking towards the swamp.

The air got heavier, the sky darker, as Steve walked closer to the structure. He looked at the strange block on the gold, reaching out and touching it. It was warm, almost throbbing, a heartbeat. Steve pulled his hand away, looking at the redstone torches surrounding it. They were unlit, waiting patiently.

He put his own torch to each one, watching the red glow.

_the top. you need to light it up._

Steve jumped at the voice, swinging the torch around. He didn’t want to do it.

_yes you do. you need to._  
Steve stepped back, feeling terror roll up his spine. He didn’t want to do it.

A bolt of lightning struck.

Steve fell backward, covering his eyes as the top block caught flame.

A laugh rang out.

Steve turned and ran, torch disposed of.

Rain started up as he bolted, the laughter never growing weaker as he ran towards his house.

“Ť̸̮̈́̈́̚h̷͎̖͙͓̩̣̦̹̟̄̔̾̇̅̐͝ǎ̷̧̙̗͍̬̂̿͌͝ñ̸̜̟̣͈͕͕̘̬̺͚̺̏̏̆̊̿̚͝k̵͓̙̗̦̦̣̟̜̈́̍̊̊͂̉̉̄͌͘͜͠ ̴̮̞̫͈̐̉̄͒͑̈́͛̕͠͝͝ͅy̸̡̢̗̜̹̫͚͔̣̹̯̋͜o̴̫̜͚̰͠u̷̞̹͇̭̦͓̞̹̟͎͚̻̾̈́͑,̸̧̢̯̦̩̜͙̞̮͔̮̣̜̭̏̂̇́ͅ ̶̢̣̣͍͔̻̟̫͖̯̞͔̪̲̌͒̅͐͗̂̀͜S̴͍̗̘͔̟̞̄͌̀̂̉̎͆̐̕͜͜ṯ̵͕͎̖͙̜̳̪̪̣͖̰͑̈́̅̀̿͒̐̔e̶̛͚̥̠v̴̢͇̬̭̅̐͑̽͛̕͝ĕ̷̛̙̝̭̋̿̔̄̅̈́͝ņ̵̨̜̘̳̫̞͖̥͖̩̭̭͕͍͂͋̃̽̓.̸̨̛̹̱͍͔̔̆͂̔̽̓͗͋” He couldn’t discern the words, ignoring his burning legs as he grabbed the door handle and flung it open, not caring that his floor was getting soaked as he closed and locked it, backing away as far as he could.

“Oh Notch, what did I do. Oh no.” He repeated the last part, watching the sudden storm build up in intensity. It rattled the windows, rattled the door. Steve tried not to panic, tried to back himself into the corner, indescribable terror filling him. Whatever he did, it wasn’t good.


	2. Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! And early, too!
> 
> Happy Valentines Day, y'all!!

Herobrine watched the man tear up the hill and into his house, watched him panic from the outside. He laughed a little, knowing that a simple wooden door wouldn’t be enough to keep him out. He gave the man some time to freak out.

He had been patient. He could wait a little longer if needed.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Steve calmed his breathing, still in the corner of his main room, eyes on the door. He didn’t feel safe just yet, but the lack of anything sinister lurking, and the quick check that revealed no curses soothed his nerves a little bit. He shivered in his still-soaked clothes, deciding that a bath would soothe his nerves.

He undressed quickly, tossing the clothes into the sink, warming up the water. Clad in a towel, he hung the wet clothes up over the sink, letting it air-dry. He pulled out a fresh set of pants from the closet, noticing the heat emanating from the bathroom.

He relaxed more after the bath, the steam creating a nice fog to the room. He sat quietly in the water, letting it soak up the gnawing dread in the back of his mind.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The next few days were uneventful. A plentiful harvest from his tiny farm, enough for him to take the trek to the nearest village. Steve figured that if he were to go to the market, he might as well mine something to trade as well.

Lava bubbled below him as he inched along the edge of the ravine, holding his breath as he tried to not look down.

The adrenaline rush filled him as he moved faster, feeling along the wall for the cutoff into a cave. He grabbed it and swung himself in, suspended over the fall for a mere instant before the darkness of the cave swallowed him. Letting out a loud whoop, Steve pulled out a torch and lit it, placing one along the wall to mark his path.

He felt the eyes on his back, shaking it off as potential mobs, too filled with the euphoria of finding a cave. This is what made him feel alive. Not the roaming, not farming. The glitter of ores and the undeniable beauty underneath his feet when he’s above ground. He grinned at the sight of them, breathing in the dusty air.

He felt at home digging away at the blocks, feeling lucky as he stumbled across a dungeon. The undead was easy to disarm, the spawner blocked off and the chests looted. The coal, being as messy as it is, was neatly wrapped in cloth and put in his bag, the other ores, and blocks stored away for safekeeping.

As he delved further and further, he missed the pair of glowing white eyes that watched his movements from darker areas, disappearing when necessary.

Steve hummed a tune to himself as he started the trek back, content with his findings. He’d head to the village, a whole days trek, sometime in the week to see what he could trade.

He let out a scream when he turned the corner to someone- no, something- staring back at him. He slipped backward and fell, backing away as quickly as possible. It watched him silently as he panicked, its glowing empty eyes betraying no emotion.

“Steven.” It finally said. And that was the final straw. Steve hauled up his bag and ran. Out of the mine, up the hill, and back into his house.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Herobrine watched the miner go, tilting his head. 

“Not much of a fighter.” He mused from his perch in a tree. A growl below him caused him to look down at the wolf. He grinned and snapped his fingers, and the wolf’s eyes went white. “Some more observing wouldn’t hurt. I have patience.”

The wolf howled and bounded towards the house, driven by the creature controlling it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was shorter!! Next one is long, I promise! =)


	3. Old and New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wolf, and a trip to the village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the longer one I promised!

The wolf was odd.

Steve saw it pacing around his house the next morning. It wouldn’t let him get close, hanging out near the edges of the hill he built his house on. He worried about the animals he let roam, the ones that tended to stick close to his farm. He started building a fence as the wolf watched, both warily eyeing the other. He was shaken after the incident in the cave, now constantly looking over his own notes to see if anything like it had been in this world’s history.

It had been. The creature with white eyes, a known myth passed around from child to child, the destroyer of villages, a destructive force. Steve vaguely remembered tales from his childhood of something similar to these tales, something he passed off as silly.

The legend of the Herobrine was supposed to be a joke. He contemplated this as he built, the sun beating down on him.

Steve turned to the wolf, noticing its lack of movement. He sat for a moment in the grass, covered in dirt and wood shavings.

“If you have anything to say, say it now.” He called to it. The wolf cocked its head and wagged its tail. It let out a soft awoo, but didn’t do much else. Steve sighed and picked up his tools. The fenced in area was almost finished. He only needed to corral the animals, an easy task. He put the tools by the door to his house and went around to the farm, grabbing some wheat, carrots, and seeds. The wolf watched intently as Steve got all the animals in the pen.

“Now shoo.” Steve walked closer to the wolf, trying to chase it off. “I didn’t work this hard to have you go and hurting them.”

The wolf circled around the man, wagging its tail. It growled once when Steve got too close, a warning.

“Oh, shush it. I’ll give you some meat if you promise to go away.” Steve pulled a slab of raw beef out of his bag, unwrapping the treat. The wolf barked and lunged at it as Steve pulled it away. “Ah, ah, ah! You gotta go.”

The meat sailed through the air as the wolf tore off after it. Steve watched it go before turning back to his house. Building the pen had taken up the better part of the day, and Steve calculated that he had a very short amount of time before sundown to tend to his crops.

He let out a groan and began to trudge back to his home, unknowing of the man in the trees watching him.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

“Okay. Food. Sword. Ores.” Steve looked out at everything, hands on his hip. Tomorrow was the day that all of the traders set up shop in the marketplace, and it was time for his monthly trek to the village. He slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped out, going past his pasture. The wolf hadn’t shown itself again, and his animals were doing well.

“Okay. Are all of you okay for the next few days? I set out food.” The cows mooed back at him, and the chickens pecked at his boots. Steve grinned and hiked up his bag as he walked towards the sunrise, map in hand.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Herobrine willed himself invisible, trailing behind the man. He listened to the sounds around him, curious.

He’s more interested in doing menial tasks than something big? Typical human. He thought, watching the ponytail on Steve’s back bounce to his steps. Herobrine would’ve rather made his move and approached him earlier, but it seems that once the man’s guard was down was best. 

His reason for following Steve around specifically wasn’t even known to him. There was a feeling inside of himself that drew him towards Steve, a curiosity. It seemed that something even more powerful than himself had control in this situation, something that just kept him going back to this one human. The one who set him free from his prison in the Nether.

Herobrine decided internally that he’d keep his mind off of why, and focus more on who this man exactly was.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

As Steve approached the village, he noticed more and more lights. The distant sound of laughter could be heard as he approached the walls. The guards recognized him and shouted a greeting, opening the gates.

“Hey, its Steve! The miner!” 

“Hello there, Orion! How are you?” Steve replied, waving up at him. The guard waved back and held up a finger before disappearing. Steve laughed as the guard came out from the bottom door, running a hand through her silver hair.

“I’m great! And how is my favorite miner doin’?” She drawled, giving him a toothy grin.

“Oh you know, same old, same old. Nothing much happens out west. How’s Poppy?” 

“She’s great! Golly, I could bring you to the inn and get you a room from her!”

“You just need an excuse to see her, huh?” Steve laughed when Orion’s face turned red and she lightly punched him.

“No! I’m just tryna be polite, is all! Besides, my shift is over!” She turned away, grabbing his hand. “C’mon! Once you’re checked in, I’ll bring you to the tavern! All the merchants have been arriving!”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The tavern was full, people both inside and outside drinking and having fun. Orion had pulled Poppy away as well, and the pair were socializing with a group of girls. Steve was nursing a drink himself, content to watch the crowd, having small talk with the people who approached him.

“Hey, Steven!” Poppy called, waving him over. He got up and walked over, drink in hand. “This girlie right here says you’re one of the best miners who comes in!”

Steve followed her hand to one of the girls. Her face was almost as red as her hair. 

“Poppy! I told you not to say anything!” She said, punching the innkeeper on the shoulder.

“Thank you.” Steve said, sticking out his hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Steve.”

“Alex. And it’s true. You bring in some of the most beautiful ores. Is it just you out there, or do you have a team?”

“Just me. I’m not a huge fan of teams.” Alex laughed at that.

“Seems pretty obvious. You’re more of the ‘sit in the corner by yourself’ guy, huh?”

“It seems so. What’s your trade?”

“Blacksmith and weapons dealer. I mine on the side.”

“Hey! You two stop mackin it up over there and talk to the rest of us!” Orion had to shout, her face turning darker as she became more intoxicated.

“Shut it, Orion. If I wanted to get a date tonight, I would have!” Alex teased, glancing back at Steve. He laughed a little.

“I hate to break it to you, Alex, but I’m not interested.” Alex guffawed, hand to her chest.

“And I am? Mister Miner, I am wounded! There’s a reason why I’m with that group of girls tonight.” She winked at him and turned back. “I’ll see you tomorrow! Have fun by yourself!”

Steve stood there a moment longer before chuckling and heading back towards the inn. He disposed of the drink and headed in for the night, looking over his bag once more before heading to bed.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The next day was uneventful. He met up with Orion, Poppy, and Alex to go trading, and considered that a success. His bag jingled with the unique trinkets he bought, plus some essentials. Alex was nice and had beat him in arm wrestling during lunch, to which Orion and Poppy cheered. The couple then headed off to work, leaving the pair alone.

They had talked, traded stories, and it had turned out the two of them had a lot in common. 

He wanted to ask her about the strange things happening to him but knew it wasn’t for the best.

He whistled the whole way home, feeling at ease.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Herobrine grinned wickedly as he followed behind Steve, plotting his next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's here... The girl...


	4. The REAL First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heehee

It was raining. Steve sat on his couch, reading his book and listening to the rain outside. He had built an area for his animals to stay dry in, and for once in a long time, felt as if he had no worries.

Then it appeared.

The man in the mine stood behind him, watching. Steve gasped and dropped his book, standing up and grabbing his sword off the table.

“Steven.” The man said. Steve held his sword at the ready, hands slightly shaking. The man disappeared and Steve’s sword was knocked out of his hands, and the miner was suddenly on the ground, the man pinning him down.

“Who the hell are you. What do you want?” Steve asked, wheezing slightly as the man dug his knee into his ribcage.

“You know who I am. Your book will tell you. As for what I want? You summoned me. I want to know why.” Herobrine summoned his own sword and held it to Steve’s throat. “I also haven’t had any fun recently, and you seem like a good toy.”

Steve swung his fist, successfully knocking Herobrine off of him. The other man looked annoyed, getting rid of the sword and opting to grab the larger man and swing him into the wall by his throat. 

The suffocating pain Steve felt run through his body seemed to last for eternity. It flashed through Herobrine, and the man dropped Steve, who crumpled to the ground and gasped in air, holding his throat. 

“How in the hell did you do that.” Herobrine growled. Steve didn’t respond, still struggling to take in air. Herobrine stepped back as the pain started to subside from both of them.  
“Do you seriously think I know?” Steve said at last, getting to his feet. Herobrine growled but didn’t say anything, instead opting to storm around the small room and sit on the kitchen table, angrily kicking the chair.

“Hey, hold on.” Steve folded his arms and picked up his sword. “Who said you could just come in here, attack me, then act like you own the damn place?”

Herobrine didn’t respond, glaring at Steve but not moving. Steve groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

“Fine. Act like a child. Sit there and pout all you want. I’m going back to reading.” He picked up the book and settled back down, not even truly reading as he held eye contact with Herobrine, feeling vaguely unsettled by the emptiness of his eyes.

After a while they both gave up, and Herobrine flashed out of sight. Steve could hear something rustling around outside in the rain, and went back to actually continue his book. 

Herobrine didn’t show up until a few hours later, soaking wet and covered in mud and leaves. He stood silently in the center of Steve’s main room, dripping onto the floor. Steve heard the commotion and came downstairs, letting out an annoyed huff.

“You’re tracking mud everywhere, you dolt. Go upstairs into the bathroom and wash. I’ll clean your clothes.” Herobrine didn’t say a word. Just looked at Steve and disappeared again. The man let out an annoyed noise before getting a rag to clean it up.

“What a bastard. Making a mess everywhere.” Steve mutters. He hears Herobrine moving around behind him, but he doesn’t stop.

Once he’s done, he turns around to get a bucket to put the dirty rag in, only to find some ores on the table, and Herobrine nowhere to be seen. He can hear the water running upstairs, a sign that the other man listened to him. Steve sighs and puts the ores in the chest, noticing that they weren’t from there originally. He cocked an eyebrow and glanced up at the ceiling before heading upstairs.

He put a pile of fresh clothes out in front of the bathroom door for Herobrine, putting a pillow and blanket on the couch downstairs before heading up to get himself ready for bed. When he got up there, he noticed that the bathroom door was open and his clothes were missing, and Herobrine’s own dirty clothes were in the empty bathtub where they wouldn’t make a mess. Steve sighed a little and decided to handle it tomorrow, quickly changing in his own room and settling down for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bastard stink man is on the scene


	5. Taking it Slow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back!! i finally graduated high school(yay!!) so i can put more attention into this!

_He awoke in hell._

_The heat made it hard to breathe, dust entering his lungs, unable to be coughed out. Steve wheezed, clutching his chest and trying desperately to breathe._

_He stumbled to his feet and looked around. Lava poured from a ceiling he couldn’t see. He heard noises he couldn’t identify. Cages swung down, empty._

_A noise behind him. Steve swung around and was face to face with a crying monster. It shrieked._

_Steve woke up._  
\- - - - - - - - - - - - -   
Sun streamed through the window as Steve lay there. His house was silent, and he felt the presence of Herobrine downstairs. He groaned and got up, grabbing a shirt from the back of his chair, slipping it on as he went downstairs, yawning.

Herobrine watched him intently from his perch on the couch. The pillow and blanket were untouched.

“Good morning.” Steve said.

“Good morning, Steven.” Herobrine parroted, monotone. As Steve moved around, he felt those blank eyes on his back. He pulled two pieces of bread from a chest, holding one out.

“Breakfast?” He asked. Herobrine glanced to it before grabbing it and holding it close to his chest, as if afraid Steve would take it back. Steve watched Herobrine devour it as he tore pieces off his own piece. When the other man finished, he looked back at Steve. “I’ll make some stew for dinner if you’ll still be here.”

Herobrine was silent, simply staring blankly at Steve as the man moved around, gathering supplies.

The smaller man followed Steve outside to the farm, and stood on the other side of the fence.

“If you’re gonna stand there, actually help a little.” Steve leaned on the hoe he was using. Herobrine shuffled closer, looking unsure. “Here. Put the seeds in the ground. Then we can water them.”

Herobrine took the packet of seeds out of Steve’s hand and picked one out, crouching down and putting it in the hoed dirt. When he was finished, he looked at Steve.

“Like that! Keep going while I hoe the dirt. It’ll make it go faster.” Steve smiled. Herobrine seemed to perk up, the hint of a smile on his face as he worked.

With a partner, the work seemed to go by twice as fast, and they were done by lunch time. Steve wiped his hands on his pants, then lifted his shirt to wipe his brow.

He stretched out, joints popping into place. Herobrine glanced at him once from his position in the mud, absentmindedly tracing patterns in the water with his free hand, the other still clutching the seeds.

Steve grabbed one of the potatoes he harvested and weighed it, debating whether or not he wanted to cook it. He eyed the carrots as well, making a mental list of what was needed for dinner.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - -   
Herobrine ate quickly. The second Steve put the stew into a bowl and handed it over, he grabbed it and scarfed it down, Steve watching with growing concern as he waited for his own bowl to cool down. The other man seemed completely invested in the meal, only stopping once the bowl was empty. Herobrine then turned his head to watch Steve.

“If you want more, go get it.” Steve said, pointing his spoon at the container.

Herobrine almost jumped up, then appeared to reconsider it, then got up quietly and slunk over, almost ashamed. He got himself another bowl at sat back down, scarfing that one down a little slower than the last. They sat in silence, the air almost tense as they finished and washed their dishes.

“I’m going to bed.” Steve said simply, putting the dishes on a towel to dry. Herobrine was gone when he turned around, without a trace of him being there. Steve sighed and finished up, turning off the lights as he went.

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He heard rustling outside, and curiously turned to look.

The wolf was back, sitting on his front steps and peering at the swamp. The structure (monument? He didn’t know) was still in the distance, but as Steve squinted, he saw a figure standing in front of it. Herobrine.

There was a flash of purple from where the other man was, and they were both gone.

“What the hell…” Steve murmured, feeling the twinge of dread that followed Herobrine around disappear, now feeling slightly more at ease. He worried a little bit, hoping the man wouldn’t go after the local village.

He watched the swamp for a while, and eventually lay back down to finally get some sleep.  
\- - - - - - - - - - - - -   
_Steve looked around. The crying… thing was gone, but now there seemed to be this eerie silence. The air was still suffocating, and he didn’t dare stray far from where he awoke._

_Peering over the ledge of a cliff, Steve saw nothing but a sea of red, the heat coming off of it adding to the already intense temperature. He saw a large structure in the distance, lit up by redstone. The urge to go into it was high, but he ignored it to rather stay safe._

_He heard footsteps, and turned to watch Herobrine walk right by him, not seeing the man. Steve followed closely behind, taking the same routes the other man was._

_As they approached the large structure, Steve noticed that it was, in fact, a castle of sorts. The ended up standing on a bridge leading to it. Herobrine turned and faced Steve, blank eyes finally focusing on the man._

_“Wake up.” He said, and Steve awoke._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are always encouraged! yell at me to continue this(or draw scenes from it) on my tumblr!!: @endermanz

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!! Give me criticism, compliments, anything! I'll be updating this later this week!


End file.
